Addressing The Lack Of Women Leading Tech Start-Ups

Female technology executives increasingly are banding together to solve what they say is a problem in their own midst: a dearth of women in top positions at emerging tech firms.

Source: Dow Jones VentureSource

Only about 11% of U.S. firms with venture-capital backing in 2009 had current or former female CEOs or female founders, according to data from Dow Jones VentureSource. The prestigious start-up incubator Y Combinator has had just 14 female founders among the 208 firms it has funded.

The “where-are-all-the-women” meme is a familiar one, and not confined to the technology world. But in start-up land, where the good idea is supposed to trump social status and everything else, the lack of women in positions of authority stands out. There is no shortageof opinionsabout the cause, but regardless, some techie women are – in true start-up fashion – attacking the problem with meetups, money and social networking.

Start-up executive Dina Kaplan and Gilt Groupe CEO Susan Lyne and the Paley Center for Media CEO Pat Mitchell run a group – which they call the “Breakfast Club” — of young and established tech and digital media executives who meet for professional networking, social support and swapping practical advice about running young digital companies. Start-up incubator i/o Ventures this month teamed up with Arianna Huffington, designer Donna Karan and former U.K. first lady Sarah Brown to launch a $25,000 competition for the “next female tech trailblazing entrepreneur.” This December for the first time, the influential technology conference TED is holding a women-focused conference.

“Part of the reason to form the group is to form true friendships and connections that could lead to business opportunities…but also to create pretty hardcore camaraderie,” said Ms. Kaplan, co-founder of online-television network blip.tv.

These women-power efforts aren’t without controversy. “I personally do not participate in any female tech organizations because they make more harm than good sometimes, because they [segregate] women,” said Yuli Ziv, founder of Style Coalition, a network of fashion and lifestyle digital publications. Instead, Ms. Ziv said she tries to encourage women to integrate more forcefully into male-dominated tech events such as the New York Tech Meetup.

“In our generation and in our community, I don’t believe there’s any issue or any disadvantage to women,” Ms. Ziv said. “I don’t think we have any excuses.”

The announcement of TEDWomen last month also sparked a flurry of Twitter posts and blog screeds questioning whether it is a step backward for gender equity to funnel women into a separate and perhaps unequal TED conference. Supporters say TEDWomen is an effort to focus on a topical subject of interest to men and women, and not an attempt to cobble together a TED B-team.

Rachel Sklar, the writer and Mediaite founding editor, said the women-focused conferences shouldn’t be controversial, and she said the TEDWomen event was no different than other TED functions focused on locales like India and Los Angeles. She recently co-founded a group called “Change the Ratio” to shine a light on women in entrepreneurial roles, and to address the dearth of women at start-ups.

“Part of changing the ratio is just changing awareness, so that the next time Techcrunch is planning a Techcrunch Disrupt, they won’t be able to not see the overwhelming maleness of it,” said Ms. Sklar, referring to the influential tech conference.

Technology investors Fred Wilson and John Borthwick said the industry needs catalysts to spark a virtuous circle of more successful women-led tech start-ups leading to more women in tech start-ups.

“From successes come role models and from the role models come change,” said Union Square Ventures’ Mr. Wilson, who recently called for more diversity in the start-up world.

Mr. Wilson, who said 3% of investment pitches he fields are from women, said he has become more attentive about the challenges of women tech entrepreneurs. He said he seeks to write about successful women entrepreneurs and prod conference hosts to include women on panels. “Little things like that will make a big difference,” he said.

Comments (5 of 25)

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1:25 am November 9, 2010

Anita wrote:

I recently read this article and then got my Wired Magazine November issue (have you seen the latest issue?). I could help but think how unfortunate it was that a leading technology magazine wasn't doing much to help females. Instead of complaining, I wrote a ppt and posted on slide share (used some of the good tidbits from this article). Take a look and let me know your thoughts. Thanks! anitahttp://www.slideshare.net/AnitaBajajNewton/wired-magazine-digitalstoneage

7:31 pm October 11, 2010

James wrote:

Ultimately, there comes a time when you have to realize that there are some jobs that primarily appeal to one gender. That doesn't mean that there is anything keeping people from going into those fields - many simply aren't interested. There are no barriers to men becoming elementary school teachers, but relatively few do.

Tech jobs often require a LOT of solitary time with little interaction with co-workers. They also require a ton of study on one's own time (unpaid). To get to be a CEO, you pretty much have to be married to your work. Women as a whole seem less interested than men in spending every waking minute on work.

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